East Side brewery plan gains more support

The Downtown Residents Association has added their name to the list of supporters in favor of a plan to build a brewery on the East Side near the historic Hays Street Bridge.

Joan Korte, president of the association, said that Wednesday morning a letter in support of the brewery was sent to Mayor Julian Castro, District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, Alamo Brewery Co.’s owner Eugene Simor and Juan Garcia, the president of the Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Association.

The plan has been a controversial issue because it calls for the brewery to be built on a nearly 2-acre parcel that the city owns. Originally, the city and the Dignowity Hill neighborhood proposed that a park should occupy the property and some stakeholders feel that idea should stand.

Opponents also feel that the brewery could block city views from the bridge and will diminish its integrity. Still, the plan is up in the air and the property continues to sit vacant.

The most recent letter was sent a few months after an initial letter in support of a skate park was drafted. Korte said the association sent that letter to the mayor after they were approached by people associated with the bridge restoration about four months ago. They had offered an idea about a skate park on the land near the bridge, which Korte said they backed because it would have given skateboarders, who normally skate on downtown sidewalks, a place to go.

Korte said that it wasn’t until a couple of months later that they found out about Simor’s brewery plans there. After hearing the brewery pitch and understanding that the neighborhood and the councilwoman backed the idea, Korte said it was time for the association to change course. They still like the idea of a skate park but the association wanted to support what that neighborhood felt was best.

“If they think it’s the best thing to do, it’s really there business,” Korte said. “Since we already stuck our nose in their business we felt that we should back what they think is best for their neighborhood. To be honest, we shouldn’t have got involved but we were approached.”

No final plan has been decided but Simor continues to meet with city staff about the issue.